Pages

Monday, October 8, 2012

Running, Eating, Sleeping, Repeat

Running Stuff
It's been awhile since I updated my blog but I'm still cooking most evenings. Sometimes I could just kick myself for not pulling out my fancy camera to take shots of some delicious dishes that I've concocted. Usually I just take quick shots and post them on Instagram but I guess it's better than nothing.

A lot of you know that I've been training. Oh yes...really training. Now, most people think that when the mileage goes up high, in my case to 90 mile weeks, it takes up all my time. This is not true at all. If I have to do something early in the day, like work, but I still need a 10-12 mile run, I simply wake up even earlier.

Along with intense training means that I need to take care of myself. No drinking alcohol, eating very healthy, and being disciplined enough to go to bed at the same time my son goes to bed (or earlier) which is at about 9:30p.m. High mileage training is all about always having a mindset that is committed to my goal. Otherwise, what's the point.

Oh, and by the way, if you haven't read my race report, written by the awesome Ashley Walsh who was my crew at North Coast 24 hour, please take a few minutes to read it. Ashley is one amazing runner and writer: Click- ASHLEY, to get to her report.

Anyway, we had a wonderful trip and even though I missed my goal of 125+ (really wanted 127 or so) miles in order to have a chance to get on the USA 24 hour team to go to the Netherlands next Spring to compete, I still got 122.5 and have one more chance. Yep, back to training. I'm using Freedom Park 24 Hour on New Years Eve as my last shot. I will train the same but bump it up a little more. And, I have my awesome husband, Marty coming with me to Freedom Park so I'm excited about that. What a great way to celebrate the New Year! Nope, he won't really be crewing me. I don't mind him at the race during the day but in the evening hours, it's best that he gets some sleep in the hotel. I will do better with him not around. If you read Ashley's race report, you will understand why. Or if you are an ultra runner, you will understand why. Sometimes it's best not to have the loved ones around in those later miles.

So, right now, I'm just trying to get back into training after a few low weeks following North Coast. Recovery to me is very important and I take it seriously-especially the older I get. I have to really listen to my body which can be hard at times. The only other ultra race that I have is the Nashville 50 miler on November 3rd which will be like a training run for Freedom Park 24hr, except I'm going to race it and shoot for a Nashville PR. This will be my fourth year and with my best time being last year with a 7:51, I think I can do a little better. I'm looking forward to that race because I just love Nashville so much.

Non-running Stuff

As far as my real estate career goes, I've switched gears a little. I was working as a buyer's agent for a very successful agent on a team and decided to go out on my own. I'm hoping to get a listing on my neighbors house this Friday! Yay!

In the next day or two, I will be doing my first cookbook review on this blog for http://whatkatieate.blogspot.com and am excited about that. Her cookbook is gorgeous and the recipes look delicious. I will have a difficult time choosing one of the recipes to make first! Once I do, I will add pics and the review with the recipe. Can't wait.

I love this photo at North Coast because my expression describes exactly how I felt- DRIVEN

5 comments:

I learned about this funky diet sometimes called the Cave Man diet from a former co-worker today who is publishing a gluten free diet oriented blog because she has celiacs which means no glutens. Anyway, somebody joked about this diet called the 'paleo' diet and it sounded like something that might help ME with my long term, multiple hospitalization causing stomach disorder as well. I'd be curious about your thoughts on it, since you are nutrition focused more than most people. I don't think it's a good runner's diet, but I could be clueless. I am just curious if you think it's bunk or an interesting idea. It's called the Paleo Diet. have you heard of it? Here are the details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet

Hey Corky, Yes, I highly recommend you give the paleo diet a try, especially with your condition. I have ultra running buddies who are very much into paleo. I asked my friend Jason to respond on here who is on paleo and an ultra runner. He loves it and has lost significant weight being on it.

Sorry that it took me so long..., but here are my several cents about Paleo Diet (copied from a post that I wrote somewhere else, hence the lack of personal feel).

The Paleo Diet has worked well for me.

I have lost roughly 100 pounds since the beginning of February. I weighed in on the gym scales last week at 176 pounds and a caliper measurement from my trainer read 8.3% body fat. I can do 50 push-ups in a row without a terrible amount of effort, and my running improvements are noticeable. This past Saturday, I ran the 26.2-mile full course route for the Atlanta Marathon with my Galloway group as a training run, and finishing that extremely hilly route in 4:45 at a leisurely pace felt easy on my legs.

Here are a few random thoughts off the top of my head, though...

"Paleo Diet" is a catchy name, no more and no less. Without knowing what cavemen really ate every day, the basic idea of Paleo is eliminating the processed foods that are designed in laboratories to induce cravings and food addiction. Meat, fruit, vegetables, nuts, but no grains, no processed/refined foods, no dairy.

Legumes (beans, peanuts, etc.) are off-limits for some scientific reason or another having to do with lectins, but several Paleo devotees still include legumes in the diet. I am not one of them, because I found that I lost weight faster without eating legumes.

My own "Paleo" style has been more of a low-carb approach, since I eat mostly chicken and pork with a couple of apples (or blueberries or strawberries) thrown in with spinach or kale ever so often. I usually stay under 50 grams of carbs per day.

The Paleo Diet for Athletes is a great great book, because it specifically caters to endurance athletes and gives top-notch advice on how to tweak the Paleo Diet before, during, and after long-distance races. Example: Gels, sport drinks, sugary foods are okay during a long-distance race, because the body instantly utilizes those sugars. The book discourages fatty cuts of meat, though, and that's where I personally stray. On the topic of fatty meats, I follow the Primal Diet advice of Mark Sisson on the Mark's Daily Apple website, where fatty meats and vegetable fats are encouraged, as long as one does not carb-up with processed foods while eating fatty foods.

The Paleo Diet discourages pork ribs, because this fatty meat is only to be eaten in moderation. I treat myself to a rib dinner every couple of weeks or so, though, and find that I lose weight and metabolize fat at a good rate. I know for a fact that ribs were a part of a caveman's daily diet, because the characters in The Flintstones ate ribs.

If you want to try Paleo Diet, you n eed to give it a 30-day trial at minimum. The reason is that you'll probably feel great for the first week, then experience a major energy drain during the second week while your body adjusts to the lack of processed carbs. After a few days, your body will normalize and you will feel better than you've ever felt in your life. No cravings, no crashes, an even energy level throughout the day, etc. You just have to allow for a few weeks to settle into the Paleo style to know for sure.

Sweet potatoes and bananas are much much much better than pasta as far as pre-race carbs go.

Sweet potatoes are the best recovery food in the world after a long-distance run. I always keep sweet potatoes (whole sweet potatoes) in my truck or in a drop bag so that I'll have immediate access to them when I cross the finish line of a race.

I have always been obsessive-compulsive with routines and with sticking to rituals that I like without ever getting tired of them. I can eat rotisserie chicken and apples every single day without getting tired of them. This is abnormal, I suppose, but losing 100 pounds in nine months and finishing ninth place at a difficult 50-mile race are sort of abnormal as well.

Animals were harmed during the making of my daily diet. I eat chicken or pork every day. If you have a problem with this, then we can still be friends, but we'll just disagree on this issue. I personally believe that a Paleo lifestyle is a sustainable way of life for the world, although I will concede that it's better for the meat to be grass-fed or game meat. I eat far less than I used to, and I have reduced my global footprint immensely with this diet. That's good enough for me.

Even strict Paleo advocates call for 80% Paleo/20% whatever you want for those who want to stay on the diet without straying. I personally strive for 100% on most days, and take for granted that the "20%" includes various chemicals, trace additives, etc. that are found in any meat, fruit, or vegetable that we eat these days, even from organic farmer's markets, as well as various sauces or flavorings that might be in the meats. Oh...and I count Diet Coke in that 20% as well...*shrug*.

I have not counted calories for the past nine months. Not at all. I love the simplicity of the Paleo approach. Eat within the Paleo guidelines, and calorie-counting is not necessary.

I am at a stopping point at 176 pounds. I like my loose-fitting size 34 jeans, and I'm too broke to buy new clothes. This is a good running weight for me, and I'm alright with the idea of hovering within a five-pound range here at this point forever on. Maintaining is the hard part, though, and I will be challenged with temptations right now when the psychology becomes difficult for me to adjust into. For the past nine months, I have had a "When I weigh less than I did the morning before, things are going well. When I weigh more than I did the morning before, things are not going well." frame of mind, and it's really hard as hell to adjust out of the mindset and shift into maintenance mode with success. I have "backslid" many times back into obesity. With Paleo, though, I am confident that I'll be successful. Adding quality fruits, veggies, and lean meats if I'm losing too much, etc.

What do I love the most about the Paleo lifestyle? When I was recovering from a shin injury a month and half ago, I was ordered to take a full week off of running or leg workouts. I did not exercise at all for seven days, and I simply went about my life eating my normal daily Paleo-friendly foods...and I still lost a pound that week. That's what Paleo is for me....it's freedom. I no longer have to be an "exercise addict" who constantly busts my tail working out all the time just to keep from gaining weight. These days, I eat as though I am unable to exercise, and I only exercise for well-being and fun. The diet is the only form of weight control, and I've ceased to look at exercise as a form of weight control. For long-distance marathons and ultramarathons, I fuel myself accordingly, but my diet is conducive to non-exercise otherwise if I so desired.